Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) CSR in Atlantic Airways 2014 At Atlantic Airways, we are committed to conducting our business in a responsible and transparent manner, striving to serve the Faroese society and community as well as to manage our social and environmental footprints. Atlantic Airways is one of the largest enterprises in the Faroe Islands with 182 employees. We are linking the Faroe Islands with the world through scheduled connections to Denmark, neighboring countries Iceland, Norway, the Scotland as well as Spain, enabling our small population of 50,000 to be connected internationally. Also, we play an important role in developing tourism and in facilitating business in the Faroe Islands. Atlantic Airways also runs a helicopter operation providing domestic services and SAR operations in Faroese territories. It is important to us that our approach and activities make sense for both our business and for society. Thus, we have defined three key areas steering our CSR focus, including a number of issues related to each key area: Business operations including health, environment and safety / compliance management Workplace including employee satisfaction, well-being, education and competence development Community including stakeholder engagement, sponsorships and donations This report outlines our approach and some of our activities in regard to CSR. In Atlantic Airways, CSR-related issues are discussed and decided at top management level, with the central responsibility being placed with the CEO. BUSINESS OPERATIONS Environment As an airline, our main environmental footprint stems from the fuel we use for our aircrafts. With increasing regulation and relatively high fuel prices it makes sense business wise, to do what we can to reduce our fuel consumption. With CO2 emissions creating climate change, we also recognize our responsibility to constantly seek ways of lowering fuel consumption. In early 2008, Atlantic Airways decided to reduce the fuel use per hour through optimized operational procedures. Furthermore, our fixed-wing fleet has also been changed from Avro RJ to Airbus A319 with lower fuel burn. In 2014, the average jet fuel burn per passenger on the scheduled services was 22 kg lower on average, compared with the average consumption per passenger on the scheduled services in 2008. Converted to CO2 emission figures, this means that Atlantic Airways has reduced its emission by 70 kg/passenger on the scheduled services, equal to a decrease of 35% per passenger In line with the company s fuel-saving efforts, an intensified aircraft-washing program has been established by Atlantic Airways, as using clean aircrafts equals less fuel burn. However, the majority of the fuel-saving measures are related to the operation of the aircraft. The wind conditions during flight climb are evaluated to select optimum climb speed. The cruise, where the majority of the flight time is spent, is adjusted to a speed, which depending on the actual weight of the aircraft, gives the most effective fuel burn. And last but not least, the company has adopted an increased usage of the principles of 'green approaches', which have been widely applied in the aviation industry throughout
the past decade. A 'green approach' means a total evaluation of actual weather conditions, traffic conditions, airport facilities and available approach procedures, to select the optimum time to initiate the descend from cruise, and configure the aircraft for final approach and landing. Atlantic Airways implementation of The Fuel Saving Program has been a tangible effort in which operational personnel have seen their opportunity to actively participate in improving the environmental footprint of Atlantic Airways operations. 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Fuelburn per passengers, scheduled service (Kilo/passenger) 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Finally, we are aware of our environmental impact in regard to the use of chemicals and toxic substances. These are required by aircraft manufacturers for maintenance, but we are very conscious of limiting our use to as little as possible. Also, we have procedures in place for the disposal of toxic materials. Waste is sorted between burning materials, non-burning materials, paper, fuel, lubricants and organic waste, and these are recycled or disposed in a controlled manner in order to minimize harm to the environment. Health and Safety It is central for our license to operate that we are in compliance with relevant legal and industry requirements in regard to health and safety issues. In addition, we are concerned about our employees, and do our outmost to ensure that they have a safe work environment. We are regularly conducting training in health & safety for our employees and have a health and safety organization in place as required by Faroese Law and Danish law related to aviation. Each work-related accident or incident registered in 2014 has been evaluated, and mitigating measures have been taken to avoid repetition of these occurrences. Also, we regularly evaluate the physical well-being of our employees, and work from a systematic action plan to improve the identified findings. Safety management Safety management is a structured approach to manage identified hazards, and eliminate/mitigate associated risks in both the operational, ground and technical environment. This proactive approach to safety is implemented in the company in addition to the system reactive approach, where reported
events are investigated to a level, where possible non-compliances are identified and control measures put in place to eliminate the risk of their reoccurrence. The goal is to identify all hazards, report all occurrences, assess associated risks and mitigate to a level as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP). Just Safety Culture is part of the system, in which each employee is encouraged to provide safetyrelated information in a non-punitive environment, but where there is also a clear line between acceptable and unacceptable behavior. In addition to the operational reporting system, Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) is essential for the fixed-wing fleet. From FDM data we are able to identify possible hazards, which are not within operating procedures. From statistical and trend data, we are able to identify and predict where to increase our focus. Within the technical environment there is a strong focus to learn from mistakes and reduce human error events, which compromise the safety of the operating environment. This is systemized through the Maintenance Error Management System (MEMS), which encourages and facilitates incident reporting and investigation, utilizing human error events as learning tools. Based on several years of reporting and investigation, the company has identified five Key Behaviors for Line and Base maintenance work, which is being fostered within the maintenance and inspection work processes to reduce mishaps and maintain safety. These Key Behaviors are: Review maintenance instructions (before starting the work) Document job status (to ensure the next shift knows exactly, what has been done) Separate inspection (after critical tasks have been performed) A last set of eyes (after the job is done, just to make completely sure that the aircraft is left airworthy) Take a moment to focus (before undertaking a critical or demanding task) Compliance management Compliance management is the company s exercise to ensure that the outcome of the activities in operations and maintenance meets the regulatory, customer and company requirements. The quality policy is the foundation under the compliance management, and it is substantiated by the compliance management organization, the documented operational and technical procedures, the training arrangements for all personnel and the independent compliance monitoring process. The performance of the compliance management system is evaluated 4 times per year by senior management. The evaluation is based on Key Performance Indicators from all departments, as well as the independent compliance monitoring reports from both internal and external (e.g. the aviation authorities) audits. WORKPLACE Employee satisfaction and well-being Atlantic Airways is a major employer in the Faroe Islands, offering our employees highly skilled and international careers in an interesting industry. We aim to recruit, train and develop local talent in the Faroe Islands to ensure good jobs and at the same time ensure the long-term sustainability of our workforce.
At Atlantic Airways, we focus on our employees satisfaction and well-being. Knowing that satisfied and motivated employees are more productive and efficient, we have initiated surveys among staff groups to measure job satisfaction and well-being. In 2012, a survey was conducted among the air crews, and in 2013 the survey was conducted among other staff groups focusing on physical condition, communication and social environment. Based on the survey, we have developed action plans focusing on improvements of key areas. In 2014, our average rate of absence due to illness was low. However, we are keen to further reduce the rate as it benefits both our employees and our business results. We strive to be an inclusive workplace, and in addition to normal hiring procedures we also work with the local job center with an aim to offer unemployed people job opportunities and training where appropriate. In addition, we continuously employ people on special conditions to allow them to have a job despite shortcomings to fulfill a normal job either temporarily or permanently. In the unfortunate event that we have to lay off an employee, we do our outmost to help the person in his or her future career. Thus, we offer outplacement support through a consultant, helping the person to find new opportunities. Education Besides being a major employer, we also play a role in the Faroese educational system, and see this as a core responsibility to develop local talent. In a small society as the Faroese, it is central to be able to make it attractive for young people to either stay in the Faroe Islands or to return after their education abroad. Thus, we offer several education opportunities and also reach out to Faroese students abroad to promote the idea of a career with us: In 2014 we: Opened our doors to more than 20 students in elementary school for their practicum Offered Faroese students at home and abroad training and seasonal positions during high-activity seasons as cabin attendants and in other service functions Competence development Based on our interest in hiring, training and developing local talent, we have a significant focus on competence development of our employees. Also, we are aware that this is a central parameter for employee satisfaction, ensuring the continuous development of each individual employee. We are aiming to develop our activities within education even more over the coming years, and will engage with local and international stakeholders to develop sufficient programs to increase competence and qualifications of employees. Our competence development activities can be divided into mandatory training (to maintain certificates, safety procedures etc.) and additional training (i.e. IT, management skills, communications etc.). In 2014 we spent around DKK 7,3 million on mandatory and additional training. COMMUNITY Stakeholder engagement Being a large company in a small community brings responsibility and a need to constantly engage with stakeholders, also beyond what is common in larger communities. We are aware of the key role that we play in society and do our outmost to engage with the local community. For our business, it is key to make it attractive to live and work on the islands as this secures our client base. Thus, we aim to be open for dialogue to find solutions and ideas on how to further improve our services and offerings.
Also, we are engaged with the broader development of business and the business community through the Faroese Employers Association, as this provides economic activity and, ultimately, jobs for people on the islands - and eventually business for us. Finally, we are naturally engaged with tourism development and the international branding of the Faroe Islands abroad, as tourism is another potential growth opportunity for our business at the same time as it provides economic opportunity for the community. Sponsorships and donations Atlantic Airways has a long history of involvement in Faroese sport and culture through sponsorships and other supportive actions. In sports, most sponsorship is centered on national teams and national unions. The company has been the main sponsor of the Faroese National Football Team since 1995. Atlantic Airways also supports the national teams in handball, volleyball, swimming, chess and others. There is a general agreement in place with the ÍSF (National Sport Union) to support the smaller unions international activities. Additionally, focus has been on supporting Faroese cultural life for many years. Atlantic Airways has among other things sponsored various music festivals. The latest initiative has been the foundation Loftbrúgv, which has been estabilished together with the Nordic House, Tórshavn Municipality and The Ministry of Culture. This foundation will support cultural activities abroad with regard to air travel.